{ FIRST RIDE }

ECORECO M5

POCKET POWER

As a safety feature, you must push
the scooter to get it going. Once rolling,
a right-side finger throttle gets things
rolling faster. The M5 powers forward in
a rather abrupt way
that could surprise a
first-time rider. Once
they adjusted, riders
enjoyed the snappy
power and quick acceleration. After
the initial kick of the motor, the scooter
would roll to speed, although we struggled getting the scooter all the way up
to its claimed max speed.

BATTERY LIFE

Seventeen miles was the most we
got out of a full charge on the M5. If
we would have stayed solely on flat
roads or bike paths, 20 miles out of the
battery seemed realistic, but we could
not find 20 miles of flat roads. For most
rides we did not find ourselves pushing the limits of the battery or worrying
about battery life. A solid 30 minutes of
riding was typically plenty.

THE VERDICT

Quite a large portion of the population feels comfortable riding a bicycle,
but the number of riders that are at
home on a Razor-sized scooter this fast
is considerably smaller. We expected that the sisters and brothers were
eager to play with the EcoReco, but we
were surprised by the moms and dads
looking for a go on it as well. As a commuter, the M5 is best for trips with a
firm, smooth surface and less than five
miles in duration. As a good-time ride,
though, the smiles are endless. ■